Samsung held its unpacked event this week and unveiled some new phones and wearables, and rehashed an earlier introduction to their Galaxy Ai.
Galaxy Z Fold and Flip
On the phone front, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
The Fold 6 is Samsung’s latest foldable phone. It is lighter and thinner and the previous version and it uses Galaxy Ai to turn scribbled into more complex drawings and more.
Unfortunately, it’s also $1,899 which seems like a far too much for a phone that didn’t really seem to have any notable hardware improvements over the previous version.
The same is largely true for the Galaxy Z Flip 6, it does have a 50MP camera and the Galaxy Ai features are there, but customizing a response and showing it on phone’s cover don’t really seem to justify the $100 price hike to $1,099.
Galaxy Watches
Samsung showed off two new watches the Galaxy Watch 7, which boasts of Ai health features and a new processor and will start at $299 for the 40mm version and $329 for the 44mm version. Whether data-hungry Ai paired with private health information is a plus or a minus is up to the potential buyers.
The other watch, the Galaxy Watch Ultra looks like a rounder version of Apple’s chunky Apple Watch Ultra and, like that one, it is geared towards more active users with a more durable scratch-resistant titanium case, 100m of water resistance, and a battery that is supposed to last 40 hours but only while in “Exercise Power Saving Mode”, which hints at there being a more power-hungry, and likely more useful, exercise mode.
Its health sensors can detect sleep apnea, and it claims to also be able to detect body composition which is usually resistance based not terribly reliable without a DEXA scan.
The Ultra will start at $650 which makes it less expensive than the Apple Watch Ultra by a good $150. It does seem to have fewer features than the Apple Watch, but how many SUV-driving suburbanites with an Apple Watch Ultra have you met that actually have use for an 86 decibel siren, or the ability to operate a 9000 feet, or send an emergency satellite message?
Galaxy Ring
Samsung seems to be finally releasing the health tracking ring they’ve been teasing for years. It, of course, uses Galaxy Ai (since the buzzword makes the sale) to track your health and sleep, and it uses a double pinch gesture like Apple’s Watches so you can look just as dorky in public while interacting with it as your Apple-buying friends look.
Unfortunately, the Galaxy Ring is a ring and it is sized like rings are, so the buying process is more involved than it would be for one of the Galaxy Watches.
No one will confuse it for real jewelry, the finish looks fairly cheap, but that may be appealing to buyers that may want to show it off.
The Galaxy Ring costs $399 dollars, or in Samsung phone units: 0.21 Galaxy Z Folds or 2 Galaxy A15 phones.